Windows 10 backup appears to offer two options: ‘File History' and ‘Backup and Restore (Windows 7)'. Since upgrading to Windows 10, I have continued to back up using the ‘Backup and Restore (Windows 7)' option, mainly because I have set up it up to take a system image as well as copy user files, and it doesn't look as though that is offered with the ‘File History' option. However the reference to Windows 7 bothers me – am I really backing up in an appropriate way for a Windows 10 system? I would appreciate your advice on this.

In fact, built-in Windows backup continues a history of disappointment. Like Windows 7 and 8 before it, Windows 10 backup is at best only "acceptable", meaning it has enough functionality to be better than nothing at all. Sadly, even that represents an improvement over previous versions of Windows.

And, no, I don't consider "better than nothing" to be a ringing endorsement.

Many people are annoyed with Microsoft's aggressive promotion of Windows 10. Not only is the "update now" utility being installed as an "important" update, all signs are that things are going to get worse. Microsoft appears to be downloading Windows 10 on the assumption that you want it.

That's a bad assumption, very bad.

Through a variety of means – an application installed automatically, Windows Update performing those updates automatically, Windows 10 being downloaded automatically, the installation process being initiated automatically – Microsoft has been virtually ramming Windows 10 down your throat, whether you want it or not.

The fact that it's a good operating system is being lost in the negative reaction to confiscating people's ability to choose.

GWX Control Panel can block Windows 10 and give the choice back to you.

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"Hiding the SSID is a simple added layer." As Microsoft's Steve Riley once said, "This is a myth that needs to be forcibly dragged out behind the woodshed, strangled until it wheezes its last labored breath, then shot several times for good measure." Disabling the SSID does absolutely nothing to increase security; on the contrary, it decreases it. Some reading: http://blogs.technet.com/b/steriley/archive/2007/10/16/myth-vs-reality-wireless-ssids.aspx. The post is almost a decade old, but as applicable now as it was then. See too the article linked to near the end of the post entitled, "Why Non-broadcast Networks are not a Security Feature."

Or run the "GWX Control Panel" from the Ultimate Outsider. It's very popular so rather than including the link here, just Google it!

In short, the GWX Control Panel turns off the nags, stops the Win10 downloads, optionally deletes what already has been downloaded and even optionally will monitor the flags to make sure Microsoft doesn't reset them without your knowledge.

"As I see it, everything being suggested in the comments comes down to how much risk you are willing to accept." Yup, it's all about understanding and balancing the risks. - and to do that, you need to understand that the security mechanisms you put in place to mitigate those risks can themselves introduce a whole new set of risks. For example, having a locked door will help keep a burglar out, but it may also keep you out if you lose your key. Adding a second lock will make your house more secure, but you've then got more keys to manage and an increased risk of losing one. And, of course, the more locks you have, the more time it takes to open your door - and the greater the risk that one of them will break and refuse to open. The same applies to computer security. For example, encrypting your data will prevent other people from accessing it, but it'll also keep you from accessing it if you forget your password (as an aside, I've encountered far more people who've permanently lost access to their encrypted data because of a forgotten password than I have people who've had their data compromised because it wasn't encrypted).

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